YouTube hit original Cobra Kai is moving to Netflix

Shawn Knight

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Editor's take: Reviving a franchise as beloved as The Karate Kid is almost always a recipe for disaster yet somehow, executive producers Jon Hurwitz, Josh Heald and Hayden Schlossberg defied all the odds. The series stays true to the original with lots of throwbacks for diehard fans while successfully managing to introduce several new characters without it feeling forced. With any luck, Netflix will be able to keep the series going for years to come.

Netflix has acquired the streaming rights to smash hit Cobra Kai from YouTube and will host the first two seasons of the series on its platform later this year.

Cobra Kai is the continuation of The Karate Kid trilogy of films from the 1980s. It picks up nearly 35 years after the events in the first movie and stars much of the original cast including Ralph Macchio and William Zabka and Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence, respectively.

The first season of the web series was incredibly well received, garnering a score of 100 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The first episode of season one has amassed nearly 87 million views since its May 2018 premiere on YouTube.

The Google subsidiary launched season two in April 2019 and was greenlit for a third season. But then, YouTube shifted gears and decided to get out of the scripted show business. Disney-owned Hulu reportedly expressed interest in picking up the series when it was being shopped around but ultimately, Netflix garnered the rights.

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Thanks for the history lesson, but not a peep about netflix beyond what is in the title. A little dissatisfied with this one.
 
This society is determined to show the "antagonist's" viewpoint.

It's like we are in love with sociopaths.
If you have seen The CW's Batwoman, all I can say is I agree. I watched the first 13 episodes of that and gave up on it. After watching that many episodes, I felt like I had watched a grand total of two episodes because - all I will say is "Alice."

While I have seen all the Karate Kid movies including the one with the woman protagonist and liked them, I am not at all sure I would like this series. It seems all the trailers highlight the antagonist's viewpoint, and that is a drawback for me as I have to wonder whether the series simply rehashes the material in the movies. For me, rehashing the movies in an extended format that TV shows allow would produce something like Star Wars VII - which was, to me, an extremely sub-par rehash of Star Wars IV.

I have Netflix so I might give it a look when it comes there, but whether it will hold my attention is another thing. It looks like the episodes are about 27-min long, but even that might be too much.

Another interesting thing will be how many seasons will it last on Netflix. There are shows that I liked that they picked up from elsewhere that did not last more than one season. Travelers for example.
 
If you have seen The CW's Batwoman, all I can say is I agree. I watched the first 13 episodes of that and gave up on it. After watching that many episodes, I felt like I had watched a grand total of two episodes because - all I will say is "Alice."

While I have seen all the Karate Kid movies including the one with the woman protagonist and liked them, I am not at all sure I would like this series. It seems all the trailers highlight the antagonist's viewpoint, and that is a drawback for me as I have to wonder whether the series simply rehashes the material in the movies. For me, rehashing the movies in an extended format that TV shows allow would produce something like Star Wars VII - which was, to me, an extremely sub-par rehash of Star Wars IV.

I have Netflix so I might give it a look when it comes there, but whether it will hold my attention is another thing. It looks like the episodes are about 27-min long, but even that might be too much.

Another interesting thing will be how many seasons will it last on Netflix. There are shows that I liked that they picked up from elsewhere that did not last more than one season. Travelers for example.

Give it a try. It's not as simple as you think. There is complexity in the main characters (including Daniel) that absolutely works. It's no rehash.
 
It's spot on. I liked the movies when I was a kid. The series is really a good draw. There is a handful of "predictable" acts in the show, but more than a few "wow" moments too. I like the pick up after 30 years for this one. However; as for Netflix, they can "can" a good show after a season or two, Punisher. I hope it takes off and sticks around for five or six seasons. I'm game!!
 
Give it a try. It's not as simple as you think. There is complexity in the main characters (including Daniel) that absolutely works. It's no rehash.
I probably will take a look. The parts in the trailers, though they seem few, with Myagi-do look like they could be worth seeing. My interests are widely varied.

Though I am somewhat reluctant to say this - I saw about 4-1/2 minutes of Drifting Dragons and I will not watch any more. Then, I switched to She-Ra and the Princess of Power and after three episodes, I'm hooked. :laughing:
It's spot on. I liked the movies when I was a kid. The series is really a good draw. There is a handful of "predictable" acts in the show, but more than a few "wow" moments too. I like the pick up after 30 years for this one. However; as for Netflix, they can "can" a good show after a season or two, Punisher. I hope it takes off and sticks around for five or six seasons. I'm game!!
I think the consensus is that Punisher was pulled by Disney, and I agree, it was an awesome show. Now Travelers OTOH, was killed by Netflix ad they picked it up from a Canadian cable network.
 
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